Alaska's National Wildlife Refuges Patch
Alaska's National Wildlife Refuges is an All Ages Award from the Girl Scouts of insert name of Sustina Council. Visit a National Wildlife Refuge or a refuge headquarters to earn this patch. It is recommended that you contact refuge staff (U.S. Fish & Wildlife – see attached contact info) first to see how they can help you earn the patch, and to find out what educational resources are available. If it’s not possible for you to visit a Refuge or refuge headquarters, you may visit an Alaska Public Lands Information Center (located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Ketchikan and Tok), or you may check out the National Wildlife Refuges of Alaska movie from the Council Office. * A Girl Scout kit is available at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Soldotna that has materials and supplies to complete some of the patch activities. Brownies: complete 4 activities (including #1 and 2) Juniors: complete 5 activities (including #1 and 2) Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors: complete 6 activities (including #1 and 2) It is recommended (but not required) that you complete at least one animal-related activity and one plant-related activity. = Required Activities = ### About Your Refuge After finding out about the history of the National Wildlife Refuge System by reading the background info provided or watching the National Wildlife Refuges of Alaska movie (available at each Refuge, Alaska Public Lands Center, or at the Council Office), get to know your local refuge. What are the major bodies of water in the refuge and what are the major land features - tundra, wetlands, glaciers, volcanoes, maritime or mountains? Find out why and when the refuge was created and how large it is. Make a poster or a map showing what you learned. ::: 2. Recreation Activity* Many refuges are open to wildlife dependent recreation. Visit a refuge or a nearby forest or tundra to try a recreational activity such as hiking, tide pooling, or walking along a beach. Snowshoeing and skiing are winter possibilities, and some refuges may have snowshoes available for use. Investigate off-trail for animal and bird tracks, or head to a field or snow-covered frozen lake to try out races and games. Note: If snowshoeing for the first time, it’s good to use a packed trail until you gain more experience. = Animal-Related Activities = ::: 3. Animal Tracks* Identify five Alaskan animals’ tracks and learn about their gaits (the distance between the footprints). Using your own hands and feet, try to accurately walk the gait of two different animals. Do an art project of some kind making a replica or print of animal tracks. ::: 4. Endangered and Threatened Species of Alaska Find out what species are endangered or threatened in Alaska (http://adfg.state.ak.us/special/esa/esa_home.php). Sea otters were over-harvested for their furs but have since make a comeback because of recognition of the problem. Are there animals, birds or plants on the list that you have seen? Find out which species live in the refuge nearest you. Write a poem or draw a picture about one of the species listed on the web site. ::: 5. Birds Identify 5 birds native to your refuge. Then make a feeder or bird house for your back yard and learn what food mixture to use (don’t leave bird food out during bear season); OR learn about Duck Stamps and what the fees are used for. Create your own Duck Stamp design, and consider submitting your entry to the Junior Duck Stamp Contest (contest rules available at http://duckstamps.fws.gov). ::: 6. Salmon View pictures of the five species of salmon (http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/special/as/docs/id_%20chart.pdf) and learn about fish habitat. Make a drawing of a healthy fish habitat. Remember to have fresh flowing water, hiding places and food for the newly hatched eggs (and salmon). List three things that are possible threats to the well-being of fish habitat or that can cause erosion to the banks of fish habitat. ::: 7. Animal Identification* Find out what animals live in your refuge and learn about them. http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/notehome.php is a great website of fish, wildlife, birds, etc. with pictures and information. Using resources from your local refuge or a local taxidermist, match animal fur samples to photos of animals. Some possible Alaskan animals are black bear, brown bear, mountain goat, Dall sheep, deer, moose, wolf, snowshoe hare, ermine, wolverine, red fox, marmot, beaver, otter, seal, sea lion and walrus. ::: 8. Seasonal Adaptation and Camouflage* Learn about seasonal adaptation and camouflage in the ermine, snowshoe hare, arctic fox or ptarmigan. Can you think of other animals that use adaptation and camouflage? Play a camouflage game (i.e., hide and seek). = Plant-Related Activities = ::: 9. Invasive Plants, Fish or Animals Identify three invasive plants in your refuge. See if you can identify the plants both prior to and after blossoming. Talk with refuge staff to find out if your refuge has any invasive animals, fish or other species. Find out why these plants or animals are a threat to native species and how they got on the refuge. Is anything being done to remove them? See if there is an opportunity to volunteer to help pull invasive plants at your refuge (or other public lands in your community), and do this as a troop service project. ::: 10. Native Plants Learn uses of native plants located in your refuge by humans – for food, medicine or decorative purposes. Use plants to add color to a bandana or tee shirt by using the leaves and blossoms for natural dye. ::: 11. Trees Identify and become familiar with the bark of four different trees native to your refuge. Notice the bark’s texture, odor and the leaf shape. Trees grow from the core out and create rings. If samples are available from your local Refuge, study tree ring samples and see if you can tell the ages of the trees. = Other Activities = ::: 12. Home to Humans? What kind of people work at Alaska’s refuges? What types of jobs are available? Interview up to three refuge staff to learn what they do at the refuge. ::: 13. Water Everywhere Make a groundwater parfait (Edible Earth Parfait) and learn about how pollutants get into our groundwater (http://www.groundwater.org/kc/activity5.html). Wetlands are often located in Refuges. Learn why wetlands are important in your Refuge (for migratory birds, fish, animals, floods, purifier, etc.). = See also = List of Council's Own All Ages Awards = External Links = Sustina Council Patch Booklet